Influence of devolution principles on performance of Governance in county governments in Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to find out the influence of devolution principles on performance of governance in County governments in Kenya. The main problem of the study is the level of adherence to the principles of devolved governance that enhances performance of the devolved county governments. Among other necessary contingent factors that were to determine the success or failure of this form of governance is the influence of the commitment to constitutionalism and the devolved principles of governance to enhance the performance of county governments in Kenya. The specific principles included separation of powers, democratization, access to reliable sources of revenue and gender balance of member representation in government institutions in enhancing performance of governance in County governments in Kenya. This study was guided by five theories which included separation of power theory, democratic theory, resource theory, gender balance theory, performance theory and the policy guideline model. The study adopted a descriptive research design that also employed the quantitative research design due to its in-depth analysis of the influence of commitment to devolution principles on the performance of governance in county governments in Kenya. Purposive sampling probability and simple random sampling techniques were used in drawing a representative sample from a population of 47 counties in Kenya. Structured questionnaires and interview schedule were used in the collection of qualitative and quantitative data. Simple regression models and multiple regression models were used to analyze the data with hypothesis testing being applied as the basis to reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis. The hypothesis was analyzed using chi and the Z-test which specified the significance level equal to 0.05 thus rejecting the null hypothesis if the P-value was less than the significance level. Data was presented using tables, figures, frequency tables, charts and percentages. This was done by the help of the statistical package for social science (SPSS Version 20) as a tool. The findings revealed that commitment on separation of powers, democratization, reliable sources of revenue; gender balance and devolution principles significantly influence the performance of governance in county governments in Kenya. Specifically, through separation of powers, the county governments have the autonomy and independence to focus on revenue generation and develop important sectors at the county level. Further, the rule of law is observed in all devolved functions as well as transparency and accountability. As well, the improved performance at the county level is attributed to equitable sharing of national revenue and reliable income generating activities at the county. Consequently, it is important that citizen participation in issues of governance is encouraged and facilitated. Moreover, there should be raised awareness on citizen’s rights in terms of decision making in governance. Likewise, the national government needs to ensure that it allocates sufficient funds to the counties to facilitate development plans. Also, there is need for the county governments to promote gender empowerment and embrace the affirmative actions in all the appointments. Finally, there should be compliance with laws and regulations governing all devolved functions at the county level.